Table of Contents
The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
Citizenship Through CAA Will Be Granted Only After Careful Review: Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court said that giving citizenship under the CAA to people who say they faced religious problems in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will happen only after checking properly whether their claims are true or not.
- The Court explained that even though the CAA 2019 allows certain minorities from these countries to get rights in India, every person’s case must still be examined carefully by the officials.
- These statements were said orally by a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi while hearing a petition filed by the NGO Aatmadeep.
- The NGO said that many people, especially those who escaped from Bangladesh and now live in West Bengal, are scared that the ongoing special voter list checking may leave them without any citizenship.
- Chief Justice Kant said that citizenship under the CAA is not given automatically. People must first complete all requirements, and only after getting citizenship can they ask to be added to the voter list.
- The Court asked the Election Commission and the Central government to reply to the petition and listed the matter for hearing next week.
- The petition said that the proviso to Section 2(1)(b) of the CAA protects minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India before December 31, 2014, from being called illegal migrants.
- These groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians. They can apply for registration or naturalisation under Section 6B to get Indian citizenship.
- The NGO said that people applying for naturalisation should not be denied normal rights given to citizens, especially when their applications are still waiting for approval.
- The petition said that the authorities are taking too long to issue citizenship certificates, which has created worry and confusion among applicants who expected faster processing under the new law.
- It also said that not accepting acknowledgment receipts during the Special Intensive Revision has caused constitutional problems and increased fear among people waiting for their citizenship results.
- The petition said that these persecuted minorities, who have already received acknowledgment for their applications, are now facing the danger of becoming stateless, socially excluded, and unable to vote because of delays and lack of recognition.
- Chief Justice Kant again said that Indian citizenship will be given only when all legal requirements are fulfilled and the applicant meets every condition under the law.
- He said applicants are asking for rights under the CAA amendments, but they have not yet been given citizenship, so their claims must be properly checked.
- The Chief Justice said that applicants must prove they were part of a minority community in their home country, show where they lived earlier, and explain clearly how they entered India.
- He also said that since Parliament passed the law, a proper system must be followed to examine the citizenship requests of refugees who came from these three countries due to religious persecution.
- The Court clarified that when a person becomes a naturalised Indian citizen through the proper process, they can then apply to be added to the voter list.
- The Election Commission checks the voter list regularly and can include names of all people who become eligible voters after legally receiving their citizenship.
IndiGo to cancel 400–500 flights to stabilise operations; 81,000 seats to be reduced
- IndiGo will cancel 400 to 500 flights to fix its schedule. This number is higher than what the government asked for. The main reason is that the airline did not prepare enough pilots under the new night-flying rules, which caused major disruptions.
- IndiGo earlier operated 2,300 flights every day but will now run only 1,800 to 1,900 flights because of the heavy pressure on its operations last week.
- With this reduction, almost 81,000 passengers each day will be affected. This is based on the average number of people who travel, assuming 90% of seats are filled on IndiGo’s usual 180-seat aircraft.
- IndiGo has not announced how long it will take to return to normal. But an official said passengers will get cancellation messages at least 72 hours before their flight.
- Minister K. Rammohan Naidu wrote on X that IndiGo was asked to reduce 10% flights, but the actual cuts have reached 17% to 21% every day.
- CEO Pieter Elbers had said before meeting the Minister that IndiGo’s operations had become stable again, and the airline was flying to all 138 destinations in its network.
- IndiGo said its on-time performance has now improved to 85% to 90% of flights being on schedule, after falling earlier to a very low 3.5%.
- Speaking in Lok Sabha, Minister Naidu told IndiGo to reorganise its operations and make sure enough pilots are kept in reserve. He also made it clear that poor planning that troubles passengers will not be accepted.
- He stressed that safety in aviation is extremely important and cannot be ignored. No airline, big or small, will be allowed to break rules or safety standards.
Trump considers tariffs on Indian rice; decision may impact the U.S. more
- A few days before American negotiators visit India for tariff discussions, President Trump warned that he may add new tariffs on Indian rice. He said India was sending cheap rice to the U.S. market.
- But trade data shows that the U.S. may suffer more from such tariffs because only around 3% of India’s rice exports go to America, while India supplies more than one-fourth of all rice that America imports.
- This means India does not depend much on selling rice to the U.S., but the U.S. depends heavily on India for rice. So, new American tariffs could harm U.S. consumers more.
- The Hindu reported that a U.S. team led by Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer will meet Indian officials in New Delhi from December 10 to 12 to discuss tariffs.
- Right now, the U.S. already has a total of 50% tariffs on goods coming from India, which is adding pressure before official talks begin.
- During a White House meeting, a representative of American farmers blamed India, Thailand, and others for sending cheap rice, which made Trump ask officials about giving higher tariffs specifically for Indian rice.
- Trump asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent why India was allowed to send rice without stricter tariffs and suggested that immediate action could stop what he called illegal shipments.
- According to India’s Commerce Ministry, India exported rice worth $391.74 million to the U.S. in 2023–24. This is only 3.1% of India’s total rice exports.
- India sells rice to 179 countries, while data from World Integrated Trade Solutions shows that India supplied about 26% of the $1.6 billion worth of rice imported by the U.S. in 2024.
- Trade expert Ajay Srivastava said Trump’s December 8 threat to add new tariffs, announced along with a farm aid package, seems to be more about U.S. domestic politics than actual trade reasons.
Important Questions
- Why did Chief Justice Surya Kant say that citizenship under the CAA is not automatic and must follow proper statutory requirements?
- How did the NGO Aatmadeep describe the risk of statelessness during the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists?
- Why did Minister K. Rammohan Naidu tell IndiGo to maintain adequate crew reserves during the major operational strain?
- How will IndiGo’s decision to cut 400–500 flights affect on-time performance and the airline’s daily passenger load?
- Why did President Trump warn of new tariffs on Indian rice despite data showing U.S. dependence on Indian imports?
- How do trade figures explain India’s limited export share to the U.S. compared to America’s heavy reliance on Indian rice?
Important Vocabulary
- Naturalisation – the legal process of becoming a citizen of a country.
- Persecuted – treated harshly due to religion or beliefs.
- Proviso – a legal condition or rule added to a law.
- Acknowledgment – official confirmation that something has been received.
- Operational – related to day-to-day running of an organisation.
- Restructure – change or reorganise a system to work better.
- Occupancy – the number of seats filled or in use.
- Compliance – following rules or required standards.
- Delegation – a group of officials sent for discussions or negotiations.
- Dumping – selling goods in another country at extremely low prices.
- Exemptions – special permissions that remove certain rules or charges.
- Discussions – formal talks to solve issues or make agreements.
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